The big day has arrived at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong – four Group 1 races worth more than $16 million featuring international stars Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior.
Opening day at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas took place Friday, New York-based trainer Linda Rice set a record for victories, and the father-son, trainer-jockey combo of Steve and Erik Asmussen won four races at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
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Let’s get to the four turf tests at Sha Tin first. The races worth more than $16 million are Saturday night in Hong Kong, which is early Sunday morning in the United States. Odds listed are from the World Pool.
First up is the $3.34 million Hong Kong Vase (post time 1:10 a.m. Sunday) at 1½ miles. Top contenders in the field of 11 include defending champion Giavelotto (5-2), Sosie (5-2) and Al Riffa (4-1).
Next is the $3.6 million, 6-furlong Hong Kong Sprint, with Ka Ying Rising the star of the show at 1-5 odds. The second betting choice in the field of 13 sprinters is Satono Reve at 8-1. Four runners are at 100-1 odds.
Ka Ying Rising, a 5-year-old gelding, has won 15 in a row and is rated as the world’s top sprinter. A potential issue for the defending champ? He drew the rail for the first time in his career but usually breaks fastest of all.
The 2023 winner, Lucky Sweynesse, is 30-1. Post time is 1:50 a.m. ET Sunday.
The $4.6 million Longines Mile (post time 3 a.m. ET) is run around one turn, with the outside draw a likely disadvantage. Voyage Bubble, who won this race last year, is the 7-2 favorite in a field of 14, and ran second to Golden Sixty in the 2023 Mile. Soul Rush, 6-1, was fourth in 2023 and second in 2024. Galaxy Patch is 4-1.
The grand finale is the $5.1 million, 1 ¼-mile Hong Kong Cup (post time 5:50 a.m.) with the globe-trotting Romantic Warrior the 1-5 favorite in a field of seven.
Romantic Warrior, who has won some the biggest races around the world with earnings topping $27.6 million, is seeking a fourth straight win in the Cup. Amazingly, the Ireland-bred 7-year-old gelding, returned from surgery on his left front ankle and defeated Voyage Bubble in the BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (G2) at Sha Tin on Nov. 23.
Bellagio Opera is the 5-1 second choice.
The first of 64 racing dates at the Oaklawn Park meet took place Friday, with Dirty Rich ($14.80) going gate-to-wire for California-based trainer Peter Miller in a 1 ¾-length victory in the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-olds at 5 ½ furlongs.
The winner was ridden by Ramon Vazquez, who had four wins on the 10-race card. Boca Beach Club, the 6-5 favorite, was second.
“I got a good break out of the gate,’’ Vazquez said. He (Miller) told me if the horse breaks good out of the gate, just let him run. When I asked him the final quarter, he responded very well.”
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has three of the six starters in Saturday’s $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), a Kentucky Derby points qualifier offering 10-5-3-2-1 points to the first five finishers.
Litmus Test is the 4-5 favorite for Baffert, seeking his 15th win in this race. His other runners are Blacksmith and Provenance, both 5-1.
Post time for the 1 1/16-mile Los Alamitos Futurity is 7 p.m. ET.
Juan Hernandez rides the maiden winner at first asking, who stepped up in class quickly, running fourth in the Del Mar Futurity, third in the Breeders’ Futurity and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, all Grade 1 stakes.
Trainer Linda Rice won a record-setting 165th victory on Friday when Snide, a 3-year-old filly she also owns, won race 4 at Aqueduct at 28-1 odds.
Snide ($58.18), with Kendrick Carmouche aboard, outdueled My Sherrona by 4 ¾ lengths in the one-turn mile maiden special weight for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up.
“It's a remarkable record and I'm proud to be amongst the trainers here in New York,” Rice said. “I was quite surprised, and I guess the public was too at 28-1.”
Rice, a 61-year-old resident of Floral Park, New York, shared the previous single-season record of 164 with trainer David Jacobson (2013). Rice reached the 165 figure in 2023 but subsequently lost one win due to a ruling that demoted Afleet Arlene (1/21/2023) from victory earlier that year.
Rice, who is also the leading owner on the NYRA circuit this year with 58 wins, credited her entire team, including assistant Marsha Barrs.
“My team has done a tremendous job all year. We get this done because of them. My office staff, the exercise riders, grooms and hotwalkers – they’re all working hard every day,” Rice said. “We're always trying to continue to improve our stable and our results. Over the past 5-to-10 years, I've really concentrated on New York racing, and the stable has certainly improved along the way.”
Rice saddled her first winner, Contrabass, in 1987 at Garden State Park and now has more than 2,700 wins for purse earnings over $122 million, according to Equibase.
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and his son, jockey Erik Asmussen, teamed up and won four races at Remington Park on Thursday, including the featured allowance race with Risk It ($3.20).
Erik was aboard 3-5 favorite Risk It and won by 1 ¼ lengths. The night started well for father and son with a win in the second race with Gloryibee, who broke her maiden at sixth asking. Race 4 was another win with Stormforged, who broke his maiden in his third start.
The duo closed out the card with win No. 4 in the ninth-race finale with 1-2 favorite Vestes.
Dad has already clinched his 20th top trainer at Remington title with a win total at 67 after Thursday’s card. The win for Risk It, a son of Gun Runner, was just his second win in 22 starts. Steve also owns the 4-year-old colt.
Finish lines: Group 1 winners Obataye (BRZ) and Acento Final (ARG) top a 17-horse field for Saturday’s 1 1/2-mile Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini International (G1) at Hipodromo de San Isidro. The winner of Argentina’s most prestigious race will earn an automatic starting position into next year’s $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In. Also, star jockey Frankie Dettori, on his South American retirement tour, will be aboard El Pulque (ARG) in the race.
White Abarrio, last seen being led off the track after being scratched moments before the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.35 at Gulfstream Park on Thursday as he prepares for the Mr. Prospector Stales (G3) on Dec. 27, a steppingstone to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 24. It was his second work since being a veterinarian scratch from the BC Dirt Mile. In his last race, he was placed fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 31 after being bumped by a rival.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
